


Meaningful

by hapgen



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 05:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13943418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hapgen/pseuds/hapgen
Summary: Haruka forgets about Valentine's Day.





	Meaningful

Haruka set a brisk pace as he walked down the sidewalk. People in scarves and mittens passed by him in droves as he made his way towards his destination. He felt a few people brush his shoulder (he ignored them), and a few of his classmates and fellow swim team members also happened to pass by. They would wave, say hello, or give him a smile, which would force him to greet them with a nod. It’s not like he didn’t want to say hello, after all, he wanted to be civil, but he had a place to be.

His blue eyes grazed over every sign and billboard, searching for one certain stop. A cool breeze blew through the city, sending a chill through Haru’s bones. Not even his puffy coat could keep him safe from the weather. To Haru’s surprise, small, white specks began to float down to the ground. He paused for a moment to study the phenomenon, only to see that it had begun to snow. He sighed in annoyance. Even if it was only 20 degrees, the forecast had predicted that there would be no snow. He supposed that he would have to find a different weather channel to listen to now, since they were unreliable. Nevertheless, Haru trekked on with the snow beginning to cover his black hair. He could already tell that it was wet... he should have worn a hat. He didn’t think about that when he was getting ready to leave for school earlier that day.

You see, Haruka had a busy day. Today was February 14th, and it was one of the most chaotic days of his life. He started the day off by sleeping past his alarm (which meant that he couldn’t talk to Makoto before he left), then he had to skip his morning bath and trade it for a lousy shower. He also forgot to bring his study guide with him to class, so he was unable to review some material before his English II exam. 

After the taking the exam (he was pretty sure that he did okay), he noticed something strange. Many of his classmates were handing out little bags with some pink or red smudges on them, maybe filled with candy or chocolate, along with one or two roses being handed out. He had no idea why this was happening, until a girl that sat next to him pulled out a plastic bag filled with dollar store chocolate.

“I bought chocolates for everyone!” She cheered, causing most of the other students to laugh and crowd around her. The girl turned and looked at Haru, “Here, Nanase! Happy Valentine’s Day! From one friend to another.” She cheerfully handed him a box before moving on to the next person.

Haru stared at the box in his hands. It was covered with red and pink hearts, of course, how could he be so stupid? He had completely forgotten about Valentine’s Day. How could he had missed the lovey-dovey decorations and happy couples everywhere? In despair, Haru already felt himself begin to drop his head down onto his desk, resulting in a loud thud that startled the students around him.

‘What am I going to do?’ He thought to himself. He needed to get something for Makoto. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he didn’t get anything for him? After all... Makoto had probably had a gift ready for him once he got home. Haru could see it now: Makoto happily greeting him at the door, handing him a bouquet of roses, but then being disappointed once Haru admitted that he forgot about Valentine’s Day.

Well, Haru knew that Makoto wouldn’t be too disappointed, since he could gift him in other ways, but he still wanted to give him something. Nothing too grand or expensive, Makoto wouldn’t like that all too much, but something meaningful. The problem with that was what gift he was going to get, along with how he was going to get it. Haru had decided on some flowers. He had begrudgingly asked one of his classmates if they knew any good flower shops (only the best for Makoto). One of his more boisterous mates told him about a small shop that was only fifteen minutes from the university. 

“It’s really small, and kind of hard to find!” The classmate warned while pulling out his phone. 

Haru shook his head, “Where is it?”

The classmate joyfully held up the screen and pointed at the map. “Right here! Want me to send you the address? What’s your number?”

Before he had even finished his sentence, Haru had already snapped a picture of the location with his own phone. “It’s fine. Thanks.”

So, Haru had the location. All he had to was find it! The task still seemed extremely difficult, though. He already walked for fifteen minutes, and he had yet to see any “Tiny Tokyo Flowers” anywhere. In fact, he felt like he had been tricked. Of course, on a day when he actually decided to speak to his classmates for an important reason, they decide to prank him.

A young woman pushed past him into an alleyway, causing Haru to glare at her back. She looked back at him and shrugged apologetically before running into a store hidden in the alley. Haru blinked in surprise, looking at the small sign hung on the entrance of the alley:

“Tiny Tokyo Flowers.”

Well, that wasn’t the way he wanted to find it, but whatever. Haru quickly walked into the alley and up to the door, gently sliding it open. He immediately felt a warm, humid gust of air blow into his face, which gave him instant relief from the mind-numbing cold. 

The young woman from before was standing by the front, her eyes widening. “Oh, hello! I’m so sorry for bumping into you before, I didn’t see you.”

Haru closed the door and rubbed his boots on the mat on the floor. “It’s fine. I’m sorry, too.” He said quietly. 

The girl smiled, “You’re all good!” She finished tying up her green apron. “Is there anything I can help you find, sir? Or did you just come in here for apologies?”

Haru glanced around the store, checking out each blooming flower and leafy plant imaginable from his spot near the door. He stepped forward, already having a certain image in his mind.

“Do you have... sunflowers?” He asked, keeping his gaze on the forest of blooms around him.

The girl hummed and tapped her chin, “I think we have a few in the back? We don’t usually keep warmer flowers out here. I can check!“ She said, walking into the back.

Haru watched her go before turning back to the flowers. He saw roses, carnations, tulips, irises... they had all of those out, so why not sunflowers? Was another person trying to pull his leg? He was getting fed up with all these rude people-

“Here!” Proudly, the girl carefully set down a wide pot full of the bright, yellow flowers. 

Haru looked at them in awe. They were perfect. Bright, sunny, tall. Just like Makoto.

“I’ll take all of them.” He said, pulling out his wallet, a certain glint appearing in his eyes.

The girl’s jaw dropped, “Um, sir!”

 

After arranging for the delivery of just three of the flowers (the employee had to bring out her manager to convince Haru to not buy all of their stock), Haru had paid and left the store. They would deliver the flowers to their shared apartment once the store closed so they wouldn’t be destroyed in the freezing weather. Haru felt accomplished. Yes, he was a good boyfriend. The best boyfriend a guy could ask for, in fact. He knew that Makoto would love his gift.

Once he got home, Haru knew that this Valentine’s Day was going to be good. Originally, he had found himself hating it, since it seemed like a marketing technique used by businesses around the world to dupe couples into spending money, but now he saw the appeal. Being able to make Makoto aware that he cared about him without having to say anything was a usual thing between them, as a look between the two would suffice, but giving him a gift sealed the deal.

Makoto had greeted him at the door with a warmth like no other. Haru got a smile, a hug, and a kiss! Then he was stripped of all of his wet clothing and sent to get a hot bath (not that he minded). After all, he had a long day. Relaxing in the tub was exactly what he needed after that huge amount of socialization.

“Hey, Haru?” Makoto asked, poking his head through the doorway of the bathroom.

Haru looked at him.

Makoto stepped through the doorway a little more, “Um, I ordered takeout... I hope you don’t mind! I didn’t think that you would want to cook when it’s so cold and wet outside, you know?” He pursed his lips together. “Is that okay?”

Haru was thinking about what to make for dinner, but knowing that he wouldn’t have to cook brought some weight off his shoulders. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Great!” Makoto perked up, another smile appearing on his face. “Will you be out soon?”

Haru nodded, then sank deeper into the bath water. He heard Makoto chuckle and close the door, making the bathroom silent once again.

After a few moments of peaceful soaking, Haru heard a faint knock at the front door. Haru’s eyes widened as he quickly stood up, pushing himself out of the tub and grabbing a towel. As he rubbed himself down, he heard a quiet “Oh, thank you!” from Makoto, then the door closed. Haru felt irritation begin to set in. Why was he taking so long to dry off?Ugh. Crap.

Haru went ahead and threw on his underwear and pants, not bothering to put on a shirt. He walked out of the bathroom so fast that he felt the water that was still on his upper body flick off of him. He rounded the corner and stopped at the sight of Makoto staring at him with wide, green eyes. In his hands was a clear vase with odd-looking blue flowers.

“Um...” Makoto began, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Haru-chan!” He said, his body language practically screaming that he was completely unsure what Haru would think about his gift.

Haru stared at him and the flowers, before padding forward quietly. He studied the flowers, only recognizing them from the flower shop that he was at earlier when he took a closer look at the color. They were a deep blue, with indigo stripes running through it. He looked up at Makoto with amazement.

“These are pretty... thank you, Makoto.” He said, smiling softly.

Makoto sighed in relief, his posture relaxing. “I’m glad you like them! We were talking about the meaning of flowers in class earlier, and they reminded me of you. Especially the color.”

Haru carefully took the vase and leaned up, giving Makoto a kiss on the cheek. While Makoto blushed and preened in Haru’s attention, Haru decided that this would be a great time to ask him something.

“Where did you get these?”

Makoto hummed in thought, “I got them from a tiny shop near the university! I ordered them a few days ago.”

Haru blinked and looked around, searching for another box. His sunflowers for Makoto were nowhere to be found-

_Knock-knock._

Makoto perked up and looked at the door. “Who could that be?” He asked himself as he walked over and opened it. “Oh, hello again!”

The girl from before was huffing and puffing, her face flushed from what seemed like a lot of running. She held up a clipboard, the paper on it slightly wet from the snow storm outside. 

“I’m sorry,” She apologized as Makoto signed the papers in confusion, “I forgot to bring these up, too. I only remembered when I saw the address...” 

Makoto shrugged, “It’s okay! Uh, but I don’t remember ordering so many flowers...”

The girl saw Haru and pointed at him. “He ordered these earlier today. Guessing they’re for you! Sorry about that.” She directed her last statement at Haru, who nodded in acceptance. Not like he could surprise Makoto now, anyway.

“Well, happy Valentine’s Day! Goodnight!” She waved, slowly walking away with the clipboard.

Makoto closed the door and stared at the box, before looking back up at Haru. “Looks like we both had the same idea, huh?” He laughed, picking up the tall box and setting it on a nearby chair. Haru set down his flowers on the kitchen table and went over to watch Makoto open his gift.

Makoto’s eyes lit up when he opened the box, jaw dropping in delight as he picked up the sunflowers. “Oh, Haru,” He grinned, “These are beautiful!”

Score one for Haru. 

Happily, Makoto reached over and wrapped one of his arms around Haru’s bare waist, pulling him in for sweet kiss. They gently embraced for a moment, before pulling apart and smiling at one another. It was as if the room was filled with warmth.

“I love you, Haru~.” Makoto said, then pulled back and looked up and down Haru’s body. “Um, Haru?”

Haru tilted his head in question.

“Where’s your shirt?”

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote and posted this on Valentine's Day of this year. I know that it's not my best work, but... at the time, I had nothing written for V-Day, so I had to do something last-minute. I hope you enjoyed! Feel "free" to yell at me on tumblr: https://hapgen.tumblr.com/
> 
> Also, thank you for the positive responses on my last work, 'Scribble'! I really appreciate it. I will start working on a part two once the semester slows down a bit.


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